JK Rowling Feared Ex-Husband Would Steal And Burn Her Harry Potter Manuscript

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has been bathed in controversy in recent years, and though the precarious circumstances surrounding the creation of the first book are well-known, they're perhaps even more dire than we thought. As spotted by People, in the first episode of a recent podcast, Rowling said that at one point her ex-husband Jorge Arantes stole her manuscript and hid it from her as a "hostage."

Rowling accused Arantes of being "violent and controlling," as well as searching her person every time she came home. She also claimed that she did not have a key to her own house, and that Arantes would burn, steal, or otherwise destroy the in-progress manuscript of the first Harry Potter book in order to control her.

She also said that she would photocopy the manuscript bit by bit in secret in order to avoid losing any progress on it. Rowling and Arantes married in October 1992 and divorced in June 1995. Rowling has previously accused Arantes of domestic violence several times.

Since 2021, JK Rowling's controversial statements on trans people (widely regarded as trans-exclusionary feminism) have largely defined her public image, with many figures in the Harry Potter fan community speaking out against her, including iconic series actors Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint. This led to a boycott of Hogwarts Legacy, and much discourse surrounding the ethics of supporting such a game. The podcast in question, The Witch Trials of JK Rowling, is hosted by Megan Phelps-Roper, former member of the Westboro Baptist Church. The program has been criticized for presenting Rowling's position as a "cancel-culture crusade."